Polymer matrix composites, often comprising layers or plies of fabric impregnated with a resin, are a preferred material for aircraft parts because of their high strength to weight ratio. One problem with composite parts, however, is that it is difficult to form complicated and intricate shapes from flat plies of fabric. For example, a structurally sound and uniform turbine rotor including a rotor body and a number of rotor blades spaced around the perimeter of the rotor body is difficult to manufacture using plies of fabric. Unlike molding operations suitable for metal alloys, the plies of fabric used to form composite parts cannot be efficiently configured in the shape of a rotor. It is also very difficult to form airfoil shaped blades and blades with sufficient structural integrity having a twist or sweep. Attaching the blades to the rotor body, however, is probably the most difficult step in manufacturing a composite rotor owing to the fact that the joint between the blades and the rotor body is often weak.